Bleed or Cry
by Mysteriouslyabsent
Summary: My terrible attempt at a Rufti, as well as a sort of photo album of the events of FF7... Chapter 4 is now up.
1. Chapter 1

**Bleed or Cry**

_A/N: My first attempt at an, ahem, 'proper' fanfiction. That's right, this one should actually have… a plot! And serious characterisation! Not parody! My titles always suck, and I see no reason to break tradition in that respect. Call it my signature move. :P Okay, I think that's all, so let's go!_

… … …

"… Just who are you?"

Rufus Shinra didn't look particularly angry at finding his new office full of riffraff (terrorist riffraff, no less), simply bemused. _Or possibly _a_mused_, thought Tifa, narrowing her eyes as what looked like a slight smirk played around the blonde's lips. One glance at Cloud told her that he, too, didn't get the joke.

"I'm Cloud," he shouted, "ex-SOLDIER, First Class!" Shinra's face remained impassive.

"I'm from AVALANCHE!" Barret added, glaring. Was it Tifa's imagination, or did Shinra's left eyebrow rise up a notch, as if to say, 'no _shit._'? She bristled at the (possibly imagined) insult and glowered at Shinra.

"Me too!" Tifa looked Shinra dead in the eye. Or _would _have done, if he hadn't been a typical male, with his gaze fixed stubbornly… elsewhere. Tifa fought the impulse to fold her arms; she didn't want him to know he was getting to her. Instead, she looked sideways at Aeris, who was _supposed _to be adding her bit now. It seemed to Tifa like Aeris was purposefully waiting too long, enjoying Tifa's discomfort as Shinra ogled her.

_Well, _thought Tifa savagely, _I just spent the night in the same room as Cloud, so screw you._

"A flower girl from the slums," Aeris said eventually. Shinra made a noise that was somewhere between a cough and a snort, and Tifa felt a little guilty. She'd be embarrassed, too. There was a _reason _she hadn't said 'barmaid'.

Red XIII dryly finished, "A Research Specimen."

Tifa watched as Shinra paused for a beat. And then another beat. Dammit, she wanted to punch the stupid not-smile off his face, but she knew the Turks would be on her in seconds if she tried. Instead, she settled for glaring at him and hoping he was boiling in all those retarded layers of black and white. Finally, Shinra's eyebrows raised fractionally, giving him an air of perfect blue-eyed innocence.

"What a crew," he said conversationally.

Tifa bared her teeth in a snarl. Shinra looked at her again, and this time he kept his gaze trained on her face as he continued, "Well, I'm Rufus." He didn't seem to need to blink. Tifa tried to stare him out, but to her shame her eyes started to water after a couple of seconds. Furiously, she tried to keep them open as Rufus opened his mouth slightly. He seemed to be tasting his next few words before saying them aloud, testing them out in silence.

Instinct grew too much to bear, and Tifa had to blink. Rufus was no longer looking at her, turning his attention to the group as a whole. And, dammit, he _still _hadn't blinked!

"The President…" Rufus said, turning back to Tifa and slowly, slowly closing one eyelid, opening it, and then doing the same with the other, "of Shinra Inc."

"You're only President cuz yer old man died!" Barret cut in. Tifa sighed; Barret had obviously mistaken Rufus' challenge for misplaced pride. Barret had a knack for taking things the wrong way and missing the point. He was a good friend, and a good person, but she wished for the millionth time that he thought a bit more before he spoke. Rufus gave Tifa a slight smile; she turned away, feeling her cheeks flame. She had the uncanny feeling that he'd just read her thoughts.

"Correct," Rufus mocked in his deadpan way. "I'll let you hear my inauguration speech."

Tifa didn't interrupt with '_"let", indeed_'. That was what he _wanted _her to say. Fine, if he wanted to issue a challenge, she'd meet it head on, and see how he liked _that_!

Sure enough, Rufus seemed slightly surprised (his expression remained impassive, but his hand paused mid hair-toss) as he continued his speech. As he walked around the room, Tifa found she couldn't concentrate on the words, instead finding herself preoccupied with _watching _him. He didn't move like most people; every last gesture seemed planned, artifice. Tifa wondered if the man ever did anything on a whim.

He was a little shorter than Cloud, which Tifa found amusing, although she wasn't quite sure why. He took long, confident strides, trenchcoat rustling, and paused by the different AVALANCHE members at different points during his speech. When he reached Tifa, she had to force herself to maintain eye-contact; Rufus was staring at her so intently she felt self-conscious under the force of his scrutiny. It didn't help that he smelled of lemongrass, a scent she'd always been fond of. Rufus drew closer as he spoke, practically whispering in her ear. She could feel his breath on her cheek. Angrily, she fought the impulse to ball her hands into fists and take a step back; she wouldn't let him know he was getting under her skin.

Eventually, Rufus Shinra pulled away, and Tifa let out an audible sigh of relief. And then cursed silently as he gave her a not-smirk. He'd heard. Damn.

Feeling her cheeks flame for the second time in as many minutes, Tifa tried to come up with something cutting to cover up her embarrassment.

"He likes to make speeches," she said, "just like his father."

Well. It sounded better in her head.

To Tifa's surprise, however, Rufus' face twitched slightly. She wondered if that was the closest he ever got to looking angry. And _then _she wondered if the Shinra Science Department hadn't done some experiments on the new President at some point, for the sole purpose of making his face unreadable in business meetings.

Rufus said nothing, but looked away from her, and Tifa felt the strangest sense of… disappointment? As though she'd screwed something up, failed some test before she even knew she was taking it.

Cloud didn't notice her mood, of course. Cloud never noticed anything. Cloud was currently looking at _Aeris_. Tifa managed not to bite her lip as Cloud yelled to Barret, "Get Aeris out of the building!"

Tifa tried not to be jealous. They'd come there to rescue Aeris, after all; why would Cloud ask Barret to take care of anyone else? And it wasn't like Tifa needed any looking after; she would have protested if Cloud had suggested it.

_But all the same… it would have been nice… if he'd just _suggested.

She gazed around the room, trying to keep her mind off things, and caught Red XIII's eye. She didn't like the

(_pitying_)

way he was looking at her and quickly looked away again. That dog-cat-thing was too bright. Tifa tuned in to Cloud's and Barret's conversation just in time to catch the end.

"I'll go after I take care of him!"

"Alright, Cloud!" Barret went with Aeris. Tifa looked at Cloud for a moment, confused.

_You said '_I_', not '_we_'..._

Cloud gestured for Tifa to go with the others. Fighting back the completely irrational tears that had just sprung up out of nowhere, Tifa nodded and turned on her heel, ignoring the urge to sneak another quick glance at Rufus Shinra. She knew he'd see her if she did.

…

That night, as Tifa lay on her hard mattress in Kalm inn, she thought restlessly about the way things were going between her and Cloud. Ha, _her and Cloud _indeed. It was the next worst thing after 'not even knowing she existed'; the point was, Cloud _did _know, and he didn't particularly care. And ever since _Aeris _had appeared, Tifa had felt him pushing her further and further away. He could have asked her to be in his party when they left Midgar, but no, she'd been sent away with Barret, while Cloud travelled with Aeris and Red XIII. Unless… maybe he _did _like her, and he was just trying to cover it up? Or maybe-

_Stop it! _Tifa told herself, tossing and turning in her scratchy sheets. _You're just deluding yourself and not seeing what's right in front of your face._

Or maybe he just wanted to be welcoming to the new people, and it was a display of kindness…

_He doesn't like you he doesn't like you he doesn't like you_

Or maybe he was just getting her back because she was so obviously attracted to Rufus Shinra…

_He doesn- waitaminute, WHAT?_

Tifa sat bolt-upright. Where the hell had that come from? _Shinra_? She didn't… he wasn't… oh, for Shiva's sake, the man was despicable! And yet, when she remembered the way he'd flicked his hair back with those long piano fingers, she shivered.

_Well, alright, he's graceful, so?_

She tried to remember his face, but Tifa had always been awful with faces. She was pretty certain his eyes were blue (_or maybe grey… or green… or… dammit_) and his nose was straight, but that was about it. She hadn't thought he was handsome, she knew _that_. He'd looked kind of demented, with low cheekbones and ridiculous chocobo hair

(_Says the girl who fancies Cloud Strife._

_Shut up._

_And Reno has high cheekbones, and he's definitely a heroin addict._

_I said shut up!_)

and sticky-out ears. Not a patch on Cloud.

Sighing, Tifa tried to get back to sleep, closing her eyes and sinking back down onto the bed, but her thoughts were still flitting like moths in the dark. The way she'd felt like she instinctively understood Rufus, picking up on all the tiny expressions that eluded her team-mates. The pleasing tone of his voice (she couldn't remember it now, but she'd liked it. He had a bit of an accent, though she couldn't think where she'd heard it before) and his scent. She'd expected soap and disinfectant, sterile as the walls in the Shinra building.

Idly, she mused on the fate of the old President Shinra's body. Buried? Cremated? Tossed out of the window? Probably the latter, if Rufus had his way. That thought made her smirk. And then scowl. Dammit, she did _not _like him! Tifa punched her pillow (and bruised her fist for her troubles; the mattress was so old it felt like it was made of stone) and forced her mind to go blank.

Except for the odd President.

…

"…And, finally, I'm cutting the budget for the Shinra Peacekeeping division by thirty percent, as punishment for the giant balls-up that was 'yesterday'." Rufus smiled icily as Heidegger spluttered.

"But, s-sir, I'm sure nobody was expecting Sephir-"

"_AVALANCHE_ were in this building earlier, you bloody idiot," Rufus cut him off. He looked at the other people sitting at various intervals around the boardroom table. Scarlet, who'd slept her way to the top and then shot anyone who tried to knock her down again. Rufus had a grudging respect for her, but he wished she'd stop trying to corner him in the lift. Bloody nymphomaniac. Reeve, the spineless wonder. Palmer, whose ineptitude was rivalled only by his waistline. Hojo, the sadist with a God complex. And, of course, the battle-scarred Heidegger, good for bluster and pomp but useless under pressure.

Rufus didn't bother to disguise the irritation that settled over his face. All these people had been chugging along for years, pushing the company steadily closer to debt and disaster. Aside from Scarlet, he couldn't respect any of them as businesspeople. Reeve was an engineer and didn't understand the first thing about marketing. He had been given a seat on the Board of Directors to prevent him from working for another company, and everyone knew it. Gast had been a visionary; Hojo was his infinitely inferior fanboy. Rufus' lip curled as he pictured Hojo begging for an autograph.

These were faces Rufus had grown up knowing all his life and hating the entire time. Anyone who was a friend of his old man was an enemy by default. And as for _incompetent _friends… With a glare, Rufus addressed the room. "Are there any questions?"

Scarlet cleared her throat, softly placing her hands down on the table. "Mr…" she paused, "… _President_, sir, don't you think it would be… wiser… to _in_crease the Peacekeeping division's budget, so that they have the necessary resources to _do their job_? Just a suggestion, _sir_." Scarlet smiled, her lipstick glistening. Rufus made a supreme effort not to roll his eyes.

"No, Scarlet, I do not. And are there any questions from anyone who isn't currently banging half of the Peacekeeping division?"

There were none.

…

… "Junon," said Cloud the next morning, as they got ready to leave. Immediately, Tifa gasped. Barret gave her a funny look.

"Yo, somethin' up?"

"Er… no… I just… remembered something," Tifa mumbled. The others shrugged and left her to it (Tifa did this a lot), heading towards the town gates.

_Junon! That's the accent! _she was thinking. _That's where Rufus is from… I wonder why that is?_

And then: _And why do I care?_

Feeling an unwanted blush steadily creeping up her cheeks, Tifa hurtled after her team-mates.

… … …

_A/N: There! Done! One day I'll get good at ending my chapters in the right places… :P Until then, there's stuff like this. Ah well. Please review, because this is my only serious fic, and I'd really like to know if I carried it off. Concrit please! Tell me why I suck! And some day, _someday_, I'll be better. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_A/N: So here it is (Merry Christmas!), chapter deux! This chapter may be a little sillier than the last; I was in that mood where I get bizarre ideas. Like the first conversation in the fic… My brain is also flitting from place to place, so expect jumps in time etc. Onwards we fly!_

…

"Hmm, Mr Shinra's kind of cute, isn't he, in a gingery way?" Aeris nudged Tifa in the ribs as the party tramped through a forest.

"Aeris!" Tifa exclaimed, blushing.

"Ooh, what's wrong?"

"He's the _enemy, _Aeris!"

"And why should it matter that he's ginger?" Red XIII questioned. "Discrimination… I was the laughing stock of the Canyon for years… Jaffa cake, they used to call me… What difference does the colour of my fur make to my heart? And then, to add insult to injury, professor Hojo had the nerve to name me 'Red'!"

"… Well, whaddya know; Poochie's got a complex." Barret shrugged and reached down to scratch Red XIII between the ears, then thought better of it as the animal growled. Tifa tried to ease the tension with a question that had been preying on her mind.

"How old is he? Rufus Shinra, I mean." Somehow, she managed to avoid stammering.

"Dunno…" Barret replied. "Twenny-five, twenny-six, somethin' like that. Why'd you care, Tifa?"

"… Twenty-five… he's older than me and Cloud, then…"

_Ha, 'me _and _Cloud'._

"…Funny," Tifa continued, stamping that last thought down, "he doesn't look it. All that time he was talking to us, I thought he looked really young. It was kind of funny."

"Yes, it's because he has big eyes!" Aeris nodded frantically.

"Err… okay, Aeris, if you say so…"

"Nonono!" Aeris grabbed Tifa's hand. "He does! Big, blue, kind of pretty ones!"

"You sayin' king vermin junior got "pretty eyes"?" Barret cut in, appalled. "What the *&^:*?"

"Well, it's true!" Aeris pouted. "He may be an evil megalomaniac, but his eyes are pretty. Actually, they're kind of like Cloud's eyes, right, Cloud?" She turned to him and swung his arm playfully. Tifa fought the urge to push the other woman over. Luckily, Cloud seemed equally disenchanted.

"… Leave me out of this."

"Oh! You're so rude!"

They continued to hike in silence, Aeris humming in an out-of-key, huffy fashion. The branches thickened overhead as they proceeded deeper in the forest, black shadows clinging to the trunks and the grass underfoot. Tifa was beginning to feel a little uneasy when she heard a twig crack above them.

"Er… did anyone else hear-"

She was cut off as a something pointy plummeted down from on high and landed on her head.

"Oof!" said Tifa.

"What the ^$&^%?" said Barret.

"Tifa!" said Cloud.

"What _is_ that?" said Aeris.

"Quite clearly a Wutaian teenage ninja, most likely here to rob our materia," said Red XIII.

…

_thirteen years ago _

"Tseng, observe. If I place a Chewit on a fork, like so, and hold it by the fire, it gains a pleasing texture and bubbles delightfully."

"Fascinating, sir."

"Oh, you have no sense of levity."

"I'm not paid to crack jokes. Or to find yours funny. Sir."

"... No Chewits for you."

…

_One tense battle later…_

"You spiky headed jerk! Let's go one more time!"

Cloud looked like he was actually considering it. Tifa shot him a warning look and he shuffled a bit, shaking his head. "Not interested."

Now that they had stopped fighting, Tifa had a chance to look at the ninja properly. The first thing that she noticed was that the ninja was a girl. Great. More competition. Although, then again, it looked like Red XIII had been right; she couldn't be older than sixteen. Unless Cloud liked younger girls… No! Cloud was not a paedo! Tifa would have noticed by now!

The ninja was wearing a bandana, a (rather frumpy) green sweater and a pair of shorts that- waitaminute…

While Tifa was trying to work out how to signal to the girl that her fly was, indeed, undone, Cloud signalled to the party that they should get moving. Giving it up as a lost cause, Tifa shrugged and followed.

_He's changed so much… He's a real _leader _now… _

She tried not to think about the things that had been bothering her when Cloud had told the others about Sephiroth, back in Kalm. The things he could remember that he _shouldn't _have been able toremember… Unless it was something wrong with _her _memory, maybe- had Hojo done something to her head before Zangan had rescued her from the reactor? And what had happened to that _other _SOLDIER, the one who didn't feature in Cloud's recollections at all? Was he a figment of her imagination? But no, he'd done the things that Cloud had described, and, oh, it didn't make any sense whatsoever!

Realising that she _was _thinking about the things she'd been trying not to think about, Tifa shook her head and concentrated on catching up with the rest of the group. She heard footsteps behind her, and when she turned around, the ninja was there.

"Hey! So, who're you guys, anyway?"

Tifa found it kind of funny that the girl had agreed to join them without actually knowing who they were. Funny, and _suspicious_. Tifa was trying not to be the typical 'really really jealous woman with a crush', but she'd have bet a fair amount of gil that a certain buff blonde ex-SOLDIER had more than a little to do with it. As said buff blonde ex-SOLDIER was currently helping _Aeris _over the rugged ground

_(Oh, for Shiva's sake, you _don't _need to hold his hand you little attention-seeking grahjfdijashgujsdhgf)_

Tifa didn't really want to get stuck in a conversation with an annoying teen.

"Hey! Cloud! And, er, Aeris! Wait up!" Tifa ran over. Damn it, they didn't even turn around. Aeris was laughing at something Cloud had just said. Tifa felt like crying, but she'd always been too proud for that.

"Ooh, Tifa, tell Cloud off!" Aeris giggled, as Tifa drew up to them. "He's being mean to me!"

_(I'll be mean to you in a minute)_

"…Really?" Tifa asked, forcing a laugh. "Why?"

_(Aeris, how's that really-low-physical-defence of yours going, again? Shall we test it out?)_

"He says that the reason we haven't seen any chocobos is because-"

"-they take one look at Aeris' face and start running," completed Cloud. Aeris tried to push him over. Cloud grinned at Tifa. "I'm right, right?"

"Er…" Tifa wanted to hate him for putting her in this position (she wanted to scream 'yes!' with all her heart, but that wouldn't do), but oh, he was cute! "I, er, don't know much about chocobos…"

"She agrees with me," said Cloud. Aeris sniffed, bottom lip trembling (though her mouth was twitching at the corners).

"I think I'm going to cry!" Aeris' expression looked stranger with every passing second, as she struggled not to burst out laughing. "Mr Barret, Mr Barret, they're being mean to me!"

Tifa had to laugh, then, looking at Barret's nonplussed expression.

"Huh?" he said. "Uh…?"

"Tell them off for me, Mr Barret!"

"Thought I told yer to stop callin' me that…" Barret muttered uncomfortably. "Uh… anyone gunna tell me what's goin' on?"

Tifa and Aeris looked at each other for a second, then nodded and turned to face Barret with innocent expressions.

"It's Cloud's fault!"

"Huh?" said Cloud, looking from one woman to the other in confusion.

"Yes, ask Cloud!"

"Oh, Mr Barret's much nicer than Cloud, isn't he?"

("Huh?" said Barret)

"Definitely." Tifa nodded. She and Aeris ran over to Barret and grabbed an arm each.

"Ooh, Mr Barret, what strong arms you have!"

"Uh, well, I mean…"

"Wow, Barret, I never noticed before, but this is a really powerful gun! Guns are much better than swords, aren't they?"

"Well, heh, uh, heh heh, uh…"

"Er, are you two okay?" asked Cloud, blinking rapidly. Tifa and Aeris grinned back.

"Yes!" they said in unison. Cloud shrugged.

"… Right… Let's get going, then." He started to walk off. Tifa caught Aeris' eye and they both started giggling again, at nothing in particular. Oh, Cloud was so _clueless_!

"Oh dear…" sighed Tifa when Cloud was out of earshot. Aeris giggled harder.

"It's not his fault…" she said, when she could finally speak again. Tifa shook her head.

"No, but he's still an idiot."

Aeris dissolved into laughter again. Barret looked annoyed that he wasn't in on the joke.

"Don't tell me… you ain't gunna tell me, right?"

Tifa and Aeris shook their heads. Red XIII made an irritated growling noise.

"Barret, if you can't work out what's going on here, you're worse than Cloud. Well, no, actually, you're about even. Can we hurry up, please? It's too sunny out here in the open." He swatted at a fly and pounded after Cloud. Barret shrugged and followed, leaving Aeris and Tifa where they stood. The ninja girl tapped Tifa on the shoulder.

"Er, so what's that thing? I didn't wanna ask, cos, y'know, he's such a grouch an' all- I mean, yeesh! Is it a dog or a cat or a mog or a Pokémon?"

"It's a 'he'," said Tifa, rolling her eyes.

"Ohhh…" The ninja went quiet for a second, and then tapped Tifa on the shoulder again. "What's that?"

Tifa made an irritated noise and didn't bother to reply. After a little while, the ninja realised she was being blanked, and started running in circles around Tifa.

"Yoohoo! Earth to boobface! I asked you a question! Yo! Over here!"

Tifa folded her arms. "My name is not 'boobface'. It's Tifa. And who are you, anyway?"

The ninja looked shocked. "What, ya mean ya weren't listening when I did my biiiiiig introduction earlier? What the hell? Well, for your _information_, I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, the one and only White Rose of Wutai, ninja-princess-materia-thief-extraordinaire and downright gorgeous to boot!" 'Yuffie' preened for a second. "It's two thousand gil for an autograph, but if you pay in materia I'll throw in a photo, too!"

"… You're alright," said Tifa.

_A materia-thief, hmm? Oh, brilliant._

It was late afternoon by the time AVALANCHE (and companions, since AVALANCHE was now solely comprised of Tifa and Barret) reached the mountain range that separated them from Junon. There was, however, a problem.

"It's a mountain range," Aeris observed.

"It is, indeed," Red XIII replied testily. "A very-difficult-to-cross mountain range, I might add. Is there no other way to Junon?"

Barret tapped his foot on the ground, glaring at the peaks. "Yeah, you can hop all the way back to Midgar an' ask Rufus to give you a lift in his fancy helicopter. C'mon, it's just a mountain!"

"It's suicide," said Cloud, shaking his head. Barret growled.

"Fine! Mr purple 'look at me, I'm first class!' SOLDIER don't mind bein' leader, or walkin' around when it's jus' grass, but the minute stuff gets hard, no, it's too dangerous! Be a man! You gotta do it like this!" With a roar, Barret launched himself at the cliff face. Aeris covered her face with her hands; Cloud and Tifa just watched.

"That was stupid," they said when Barret came back sheepishly, after falling down about ten times.

"Shuddup."

"Can't go over it…" said Cloud. Tifa shook her head in agreement and looked at the solid ground beneath their feet.

"Can't go under it…"

"We gotta go THROUGH it!" shouted Yuffie, punching the air. The others gave her funny looks, which she returned with force. "What, don't you guys read?"

…

_thirteen years earlier_

"Tseng, why do you hate me?"

"Sir?"

"It's rather obvious. My bodyguards usually hate me after a little while, true, but we've only just met and you clearly want to eviscerate me. I was wondering why."

"…"

"Is it because of the war in Wutai?"

"…"

"You know, it's rather immature of you to blame me for that. I'm twelve."

"… I know, Sir."

"… I don't think I like you, Tseng."

"Sir?"

"You're not very nice."

"I am a Turk. Sir."

"… Tseng?"

"Sir?"

"Do you hate Shinra?"

"It would not prudent for me to answer that question, Sir."

"Ah, I thought so. Me too. Perhaps we can be friends after all."

…

They followed the mountain range along, looking for a place where they might be able to go 'through it' like Yuffie suggested. Privately, Tifa thought it was a waste of time- she knew Fort Condor was somewhere on the other side, and she had a feeling that the only reason it hadn't been decimated by Shinra was the relative difficulty of getting troops to it. Damn it, what on earth were they going to do if they had to go back to Midgar to get transport to Junon? Her Gate Key was trapped under tonnes of rubble, keeping her old bar company.

The ground was harder to walk on now; in places it was more water than grass. Great, that was all they needed, a marsh. Tifa was just bending down, trying to free her foot from under a clump of mud and weeds, when there was a shrill scream from behind.

"S-snake!" shrieked Aeris, pointing- _oh, for Shiva's sake!_ - dead ahead of Tifa.

"HOLY CRAP, LOOKIT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!" yelled Barret. Tifa heard frantic splashing sounds as he waded out of the marsh and onto the firmer ground behind them. Tifa turned around-

-And froze.

'That thing' looked like a cobra on steroids, twenty foot high and hungry. A slipstream of marsh water was rising around its tail as it raced forward- making a beeline for Tifa. She struggled to pull her foot out from the mud- no good! Damn it! If she died now, she was going to haunt Cloud forever; some prince-on-a-white-horse he was!

There was a sharp pain in her ankle. Tifa gasped and looked down, only to see Red XIII sinking his fangs into her boot. There was a quiet pop as her foot escaped the ripped material.

"Hurrruf!" barked Red XIII, spitting out bits of leather and shoelace. "Hurry!" he barked again, and Tifa nodded and hobbled after him as he started to run.

They made it back onto the grass just as the giant snake lunged forward, plunging its fangs into the ground. Tiny brown water droplets flew into the air and cascaded down again, showering the party in the spray. Tifa scrambled backwards, clutching her heart as it raced in her chest. She watched as the snake rose up again, glared at them all briefly and then slithered off.

"Wow…" said Aeris, looking at its retreating tail.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes. When Tifa's heart had finally stopped slamming against her ribs, she turned to Red XIII and nodded.

"Thanks…"

"You're welcome," he said with a bit of a shrug. "The question is, now what?"

…

_twelve years earlier_

"Do you know, Tseng, I find you most curious. You say you're an orphan?"

"Indeed, Sir."

"Do you remember your parents, then?"

"… Sensitive as always, Sir."

"Heh."

"No, I don't. They died somewhere between Wutai and Midgar. Probably shot on the trains, like all the other illegal immigrants. I don't really think about them much."

"… You're lying, aren't you, Tseng?"

"…"

"I'm good at telling these things, you know. Perhaps I should be a Turk."

"… Heh. You're too delicate, Sir, no offence intended."

"Well, I'll have to do _something_. I don't think I can bear another year of scaring away governors and governesses, and reading all about my old man's brilliance in the newspapers. Any ideas?"

"I think you should keep your head down and be a good boy, Sir."

"… You're dreadfully dull sometimes, Tseng. So? Are you going to tell me about your parents, or not?"

"Not. What about you, anyway? I've never met your mother."

"No, that would be because she's dead. Don't you read? There was a media feeding-frenzy when it happened. Honestly, Tseng, you need to pay more attention to current affairs!"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't know."

"Oh, I was making it up. She's alive and well. Well, not _well_, exactly. My old man keeps her locked in the attic. She's quite insane!"

"Sir?"

"… Tseng, it's what's known as a joke. Dear me… Mother died when I was seven. Suicide. Oh, and you're not allowed to tell anyone, by the way. It was an 'accidental car-crash'. Not a _Shinra _car, obviously! One of our competitors, a most unreliable firm, blah, blah, blah, definitely not a bullet in the head… Simply put, she got sick of my old man and topped herself. Sometimes I think I might join her."

"Sir?"

"Oh, you're sceptical, but I mean it. When my old man gets what he deserves, I'll kill myself, I think. I'll just stick around long enough to make sure he gets it… if he doesn't kill me first, that is."

"Sir?"

"… Dear me, you're innocent. Tseng, my old man is _terrified _of me. He thinks that I'm going to snatch power from him the minute his back is turned. Honestly! What would I want with his million gil business?"

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Heh, alright, I can see how it sounds. But really. At the moment, I have all the perks without the responsibilities. It's far preferable to the alternative. Who needs power when they have money? No, Tseng. He's going to suffer, but I don't want the business. Au contraire, my friend. I am going to do everything in my power to sink this business, I promise you. My old man won't like it when his legacy goes up in smoke."

"… Ouch."

"It's his own fault. Brandy?"

"… Rufus, you _really _shouldn't have a drinks cabinet at your age…"

"I know. Brandy?"

…

As the sky darkened, Cloud took charge again.

"Right, we'll do more exploring in the morning. For now, let's head for that… farm, I think it is, over there. We'll ask if we can stay the night. I'm _not _going all the way back to Kalm, and a tent's a pain when Barret snores."

Tifa laughed. Barret grumbled. Overhead, the first stars were coming out.

_Sephiroth's out there somewhere, maybe looking at the same sky… but right now, I don't care. I'm with my friends, and we're safe at the moment, and Cloud… oh, Cloud, you're so… strong, I suppose. You've really grown up, haven't you? I think I love you, you know…_

Tifa smiled to herself as she walked at his side (missing a shoe).

… … …

_A/N: Another kinda random ending-place! Again, concrit most welcome! By the way, let me just reiterate: this thing only goes by original game canon. Before Crisis can go screw itself this is not jealousy because I can't play it on _my _phone. If there are timeline errors with the Rufus and Tseng bits, then they're _not_ errors, because of the above. :P So yeah, please review and tell me what sucks (and hopefully what rocks, but I won't get my hopes up…:P) Also, I _am _aware that Jaffa Cakes, Chewits and Pokémon don't exist in the FF7 universe, but they happened to be the best words/things to use in each context. Just roll with it. Or box my ears. :P_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_A/N: I've had this chapter knocking around in my head for a while, but somehow it just didn't get onto paper… until NOW. :O Anyway, I hope ya enjoy it! It should be a bit more serious than the last, but we'll see (my typing fingers like to disobey my brain) … Okay, let's mosey!_

… … …

_Ten years ago_

The rain fell in sheets. It did not quite fit with Tseng's idea of weather for one's wedding- then again, none of today had particularly matched his idea of a marriage. Oh, the fripperies were there: the press with their flashing cameras; the cake the height of a small child; the flowers and bells and songs and laughter; but the meaning behind it… well.

Rufus stood at Tseng's side, outwardly unfazed by the celebration. Tseng knew the boy well enough, however, to notice the tension in his shoulders, the drawn look of his face.

"Sir," Tseng sighed, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Rufus gave him his trademark blank stare.

"There's no need for that," Rufus said exasperatedly, and turned to watch his father embrace the woman in the white, jayjujayme-silk dress. "I've told you, I don't care. You always presume, Tseng."

"… Then why?"

Rufus gave the little jerk of his shoulders that passed for a shrug. "I just can't stand _her_. She's vile. You'll see… Actually, you won't. If she comes over to us, we'll run. Tseng, as my bodyguard, I order you to stand between her and myself, come hell or high water." Rufus gave a slight smile. Tseng smiled too.

"Yes, Sir."

It was an old game they played. They both knew that Tseng could no more protect Rufus from his father and the people he associated with than he could fly, but it was fun to pretend.

_And if anyone deserves to smile around here, it's Rufus…_

"Speak of the devil, she's coming." Rufus let out an irritated breath and turned on his heel, gripping Tseng's elbow. Tseng his charge drag him back into the villa the Shinra 'family' had rented for the occasion. Living in the company building was very practical and cost efficient, but it lacked romance.

Rufus gave a fleeting grin as he pulled Tseng into one of the many pointless ground-floor rooms, before closing the door and locking it with a small diamond key.

"She'll probably have a key of her own," Tseng pointed out. Rufus sighed.

"You know, I don't know why I bother with you, sometimes… Tseng, have you ever made a joke in your life?"

Tseng rolled his eyes and Rufus smirked. The blonde crossed to one of the large, white sofas and flopped onto it, closing his eyes. Tseng had a feeling he was the only person in the world who ever saw Rufus with his guard down like this. Rufus opened his eyes again and studied Tseng.

"Oh… You're watching me again… Honestly, Tseng, and to think, I trusted you..."

Tseng rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

For at least a year now, Rufus had teased him relentlessly for the crush which he DEFINITELY DID NOT HAVE on his charge. It would have been irritating, if it hadn't been Rufus doing the teasing- Tseng could never help his mouth turning up at the corners and Rufus, sensing weakness, would show no mercy until Tseng finally cracked and laughed out loud.

"Damn right, it isn't," said Rufus. "I have a girlfriend, you know; she wouldn't be-"

"Very funny." Tseng sighed and sat down next to Rufus. Rufus' eyes glittered. Tseng fought the urge to punch his dear friend in the face.

"Tseng, I must ask that you respect my personal space. It's really rather-"

"When are you going to get bored of this?"

"Never." Rufus patted Tseng's arm as Tseng groaned. "But if it's romance you seek, I'll buy you flowers."

"No you won't," said Tseng, snorting. Rufus grinned again.

"Bloody well right, I won't, they're fifty gil a bunch. Oh? But what's this? Tseng, were you asking me for flowers just now? I think that's rather forward of you!"

Tseng could have said many things in reply, but he let his middle finger do the talking instead. Rufus raised an eyebrow.

"No, thanks," he said. Tseng was considering pulling his gun when they both heard loud, clacking footsteps on the marble corridor floor.

"Ruffles?" a woman called. "Ruffy? Where have you gone, you funny little boy!"

Tseng looked at Rufus. Rufus looked at Tseng.

"Don't you dare," he said. Tseng was sorely tempted, but he still had a vague trace of honour that his job hadn't quite beaten out of him yet.

"Your wish is my command," Tseng said blandly. "But you owe me," he added with a smile. Rufus tossed his hair.

"Gods above… Do you know, Tseng, I would gladly fetch the sawn-off shotgun from my old man's study and blow her brains out if I thought I wouldn't end up in a boarding school at the end of it. I am wretched. Utterly wretched."

Tseng's lips twitched. "Touching, Sir. A real-life Cinderella."

"Shut up, Tseng." Rufus glowered. "I mean it. We all know she and my old man are marrying for wealth and status, the media knows it, your average Joe on the street knows it- whether or not he can spell his own name. A finer sham there never was. And yet! 'Rufus, how were your lessons today?', 'Rufus, what's your favourite band?', 'Rufus, would you like some apple strudel?'! No, ma'am! Contrary to popular belief, not every person from Kalm lives on a diet of strudel, stollen and bloody lederhosen!"

Tseng snorted. "I doubt she'd try to feed you lederhosen."

"You don't know that woman, Tseng. If it's Kalmese, she will serve it to me in a dish, be it choux or a shoe, and then ask if it's as good as 'mummy's'." Rufus rolled his eyes. "Not that she is trying to replace my mother, no, heavens, she would _never _do that! She wants us to be _friends_!"

"You know," said Tseng, slightly bemused, "from what you've said, she sounds like quite a nice woman…"

"She is _not_," Rufus hissed. "You'll see. No you won't. Anyway, it gets worse. Everywhere I go, she's _there_, like the bloody spectre of death. Asking me how my mother did the spring cleaning, or how she tended the garden, or how she played _games _with me as a child."

Tseng's smile faded. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth, of course." Rufus snorted. "With a bottle in one hand and a Bennie in the other. Only now I'm regretting it, because she keeps trying to play 'counsellor', and, worse, I have a _feeling _she's been hinting to my old man that I should go to see a psychiatrist in case 'it runs in the family'. I suppose I'm lucky that my old man doesn't give a damn about me." Rufus smiled. Tseng experienced the uncomfortable sensation of wanting to comfort Rufus, and knowing that Rufus would punch him in the face and never speak to him again if he tried. If there was one thing Rufus _hated_, it was being pitied- he didn't pity himself, and he didn't see why anyone else should pity him on his behalf.

Rufus gave Tseng a sharp look. "Stop that," he said. Tseng cleared his throat guiltily.

"Sorry, Sir."

"Too right you are. Anyway. She is _absolutely determined _to play mother to me. I tell her I neither want nor need a mother, that I have managed perfectly well for the last however-many years without a care. She tells me I'm in bloody denial."

Tseng sighed and shook his head. "I still reckon she's just trying to do her best… it's a normal enough assumption…"

Rufus ran his long fingers through his hair in irritation. "If you'd seen the corpse, Tseng, you'd have a bloody hard time denying it. Oh, I wish I'd taken a few photos, I could have given them as wedding presents… Damn it. I wonder if the police have any, stashed away, or if they were all burnt… Oh, but they _must _have some from the staged car crash… Imagine, Tseng! We could frame them, decorate the house with the things! Mrs Shinra the first, and her unfortunate accident! Mrs Shinra the first and her fetching plastic surgery- just take out a section of the head between the eyes et voila!"

"Rufus, you're not funny…"

"We could have the close up shots! OR we could get the zoomed in versions, and then have her play 'guess what', and then _tell _her, 'this is my mother's charred left hand' or 'this is some of the dried blood on her hair'!"

"Rufus, I mean it, stop…"

"Tseng! Let's make a wax model! Let's-"

Rufus was cut off as Tseng smothered him with a hug.

"I told you to shut up," Tseng growled. There was silence for a few moments before Tseng let go. Rufus glared at him.

"If I want to have a morbid joke at my dead mother's expense, that's my own business, Tseng," he said coolly.

"Can you even hear how that sounds?" Tseng replied, half-tempted to laugh. Rufus didn't reply, glowering into space. Tseng sighed. "Oh, come on… Look, I just don't like it. It might not be a big deal for you, but where I come from, it's important to respect your parents-"

Rufus burst into mocking laughter. "Where you come from? Where you _come from_? You don't come from anywhere, Tseng. Stop trying to play an adult, stop trying to be wise and responsible and knowing, because you're _not _and it's embarrassing to watch. Where you _come from_? You were made by them, by Shinra, and you're about as Wutaian as I'm Kalmese."

Tseng paused for a moment, then shrugged. "We can both speak the languages."

"Oh, very good." Rufus leaned back with a sigh. "Next you should say a proverb. 'Leviathan say boy not son, boy never man.' Something like that."

Tseng gave a tight smile. "You insult yourself, Rufus, if you make out that all you can do is insult your mother and spout casual racism. It won't get you far."

Rufus shrugged, although Tseng could tell he'd hit a nerve. "I'm never going to go far, anyway. If I stay at the top of the world, I'm already here. If I go into a downward spiral of drink and drugs, I'm only a hair's breadth away as it is."

Tseng raised an eyebrow. Rufus gave him a look.

"Not _me_, you idiot. You know about my mother, and my old man's no better. Who the hell assigns a Turk to guard their teenage son? If that's not a sign of complete parental irresponsibility, I don't know what is."

Tseng had to laugh at that. "Rufus, if I'm a bad influence, what does that make you?"

Rufus paused, then shrugged. "A social worker's dream."

"Pity your father employs the social workers."

Rufus shook his head. "Absolutely not. It's bloody brilliant. I'm free. If I want to stay out until five in the morning, who's going to stop me?"

"I'd stop you," said Tseng.

"If I want to get smashed, who gives a damn?"

"I'd prise the bottle out of your clawed hands."

"If I decide that it's high- pardon the pun- time for some hypers, tranquilisers or LSD, so what?"

"_So_ I would make you wish you'd never been born," Tseng said finally. Rufus smirked, and Tseng realised, with the sinking feeling he'd learned to recognise after years of knowing Rufus, that he'd fallen into a trap.

"Ah," said Rufus, wagging a finger. "But. What say I already wish that every day of my life?"

"Then do me a favour and kill yourself; you're a pain," Tseng replied. Rufus laughed.

"Oh dear, I suppose I'll have to stick around to spite you. There! You're my reason for living! How does it feel?"

"… Absolutely crap," Tseng sighed. "Feel free to change your mind at any time."

Rufus gave a small smile, a real smile, but didn't reply. He seemed lost in thought. Tseng waited patiently for his friend to say what was on his mind; he knew that Rufus was the sort who could never keep his musings to himself for long. As much as the boy tried to deny it, he was naturally sociable, and craved the company of others.

_If he actually liked other people, rather than just the _concept_ of other people, he'd be quite popular_.

"Tseng," Rufus said at last, with a face so impassive that Tseng knew that this mattered a great deal to him. "If I really were to die, would-"

"Ruffykins!" a voice rang out from the hall. Rufus froze in his seat, eyes flicking to the door. "Darling," the voice continued, "I want to see you! Where could you be? Are you hiding in…" the doorknob started to turn.

"… No…" Rufus murmured, as Tseng stifled a laugh. The expression on Rufus' face resembled that of someone faced with the death penalty.

"… Here?" the voice asked. "Hmm, how strange, this door is locked! Ruffy, are you in there?"

Rufus gestured frantically at the window. Tseng doubled over with silent laughter. Rufus kicked him.

"Well, it's a good job I have a key!" announced the voice. Rufus leapt across the room. Tseng grabbed his ankle (President Shinra would find some way of taking the money required to replace the broken window out of Tseng's pay) and tumbled after him. They landed in the middle of the floor, tangled in a heap, just as the door opened and a giant blancmange entered.

On closer inspection, it appeared that the giant blancmange had a face. On closer inspection still, Tseng realised that it was not, in fact, a blancmange, but the woman in the frilly white wedding dress. And on the closest inspection a Turk could perform (which was really quite an inspection), Tseng realised that the woman's jaw had dropped as she stared at he and Rufus lying together on the floor.

_Oh dear._

… … …

_A/N: I've decided to split this chapter into two because it's already a bloated beast. That is all._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_A/N: Here at last._

"Ruffy...?" the blancmange croaked.

"Rufus," Rufus replied. Tseng had to hand it to him; there weren't many guys (could Rufus be described as a 'guy?') who could maintain an aura of dignity and silent menace while trapped in a tangle of limbs on the floor. "And Tseng. Say hello, Tseng."

"Hello." Tseng sat up and looked the woman straight in the eye. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." He was not going to let Rufus get his petty revenge.

"Hello, er, Sun," came the reply. Tseng restrained an instinctive wince as the woman arranged her face into a lightless smile. "Are you a friend of Ruffy's?"

"After a fashion." The waves of fury now emanating from Rufus were some compensation for the embarrassment. "He can be a little difficult to get on with sometimes- can't we all- but the trick, I find, is perseverance."

The blancmange laughed and wobbled down onto the sofa by the window. Rufus made a sound that could have been mistaken for a growl.

"Well, that's a relief! To tell you the truth, I was starting to despair of the boy!"

"Ah, ma'am, I know the exact same feeling. It's one of those..." Tseng trailed off. Rufus was _watching_ him. Being _watched_ by Rufus felt like a cross between having one's mind read and having it ripped into pieces by a hungry mu. "... It's hard to find the words, I mean..."

"Oh, no, I know exactly how you feel, trust me!" the blancmange gave another icy, tinkling laugh. "But then I always say that you get out what you put in, and there's no excuse for letting children like yourselves suffer because of circumstances beyond your control, you know? It's a responsibility, no, a _duty_ to show children like Ruffikins some love and compassion, because otherwise, we release monsters into the world, don't you agree?"

Tseng felt extremely uncomfortable. Rufus' eyes were glittering.

"Well, Tseng?" the boy prompted. "What do you say to that?"

"I..." Tseng tried to collect his thoughts and ignore the static. "I think..." Why did this always happen? What kind of a Turk _was _he? "I think... we should love for the sake of loving."

Rufus roared with uncontrollable laughter. It was frightening to watch.

_And he's going to take it out on me later when he feels embarrassed about losing his composure._

Tseng tried not to let his shoulders slump as the blancmange fixed him with a penetrating glare, paying proper attention to him for the first time.

"Do go on," she said, and there was a definite curl to her lip.

"We'd have world peace in an instant," Tseng replied, trying to turn it into a dry joke. The lip curled further; the blancmange was no fool. He cursed inwardly.

_You should not be a Turk you should be out there in the green forests of Mideel hugging every last tree and kissing the cockatrices you _idiot.

"How charming!" The blancmange gave another icy smile. "Speaking of charming, I _do_ like your suit."

… _Could today _get _any worse?_

Out of the corner of his eye, Tseng looked at Rufus. Rufus, having (naturally) anticipated the look, replied with a blank stare that crowed 'I told you so', 'you are an idiot' and 'get some self-control' simultaneously. That blank stare was met with narrowed eyes, which were, in turn, met with twitching lips and another blank stare, this time of the 'oh well, no harm done' variety. This, above all, irritated Tseng.

"So, Ruffy!" the blancmange clapped her hands. "You will be thrilled to hear that I have a special treat for you today!"

"Words cannot express my delight," replied Rufus, and with a slight sigh, he sat up. Tseng tried and failed to detach himself as the wave of gloom, resignation and utter misery crashed over him. Being around Rufus was often like having a bat flying around inside his head.

_No, really, what the hell is wrong with me._

"Come on, up, up!" the woman gestured at Rufus. Tseng noted that even as her arm stretched out, her shoulders recoiled and she twisted a little to the side in obvious repulsion. "Come and sit on my lap, my pretty little popinjay!"

"No," said Rufus.

There was an awkward silence.

"Ruffy..."

"Get to the point," Rufus cut in. "What do you want and what's in it for me?"

_That's probably what he says on dates..._

The woman was silent for a moment, arm still outstretched. Then the arm lowered, the smile vanished, and the layers of the dress shifted, seemingly deflating, as she sat up straight. Shoulders back, eyes dead, jutting chin and one of the most violent, bristling auras Tseng had ever sensed: the woman bared her teeth. Beside him, Tseng felt Rufus relax a little.

_Trust him to prefer a dragon breathing flame to a dragon pretending to be a zemzelet._

"If you think you have any power right now, think again," each word made shock waves. "It's not a question of what _I want _you to do; it's what _you are going _to do_. _Understand so far?"

Rufus' face was inscrutable. "Perhaps."

The woman tensed for a moment, her eyes flicking around on impulse for something to chuck at the boy. Tseng noticed the ghost of a smile on Rufus' lips and a tiny shake of the head. Tseng frowned. Honestly, sometimes his friend was very patronising. Then again, that was probably the intention. He sighed as the woman took a deep breath, regained a little composure (although her nostrils still flared) and pressed on.

"My niece-"

"No."

"You don't-"

"I do."

"Don't-"

"Don't embarrass yourself."

The woman clapped her hands together. "If that's-"

"I warned you." Rufus' shoulders twitched; his equivalent of a shrug. He got to his feet. "If that's all, I'm going. Coming, Tseng? I'm anxious to _mingle_, and there are plenty of young men for your delectation."

Tseng was saved the effort of responding as the woman leapt to her feet.

"You're not leaving this room."

"No?" Rufus sounded amused. The woman glared, strode in front of the door and then turned to face him, folding her arms.

"No."

"And what if I try to push past?" Rufus' lips twitched.

"Your father will hear of it. He'll make you cry."

Tseng restrained a snort. Rufus took a step back, eyebrows raised. "My, my, my! But what if..." He put a hand in his pocket and pulled out a sizeable rock. "... I throw this?"

The woman's lip curled as Rufus put a little more distance between the pair of them in order to adjust his aim. "I wouldn't advise it," she said.

"Pity," said Rufus, and for the second time that day, Tseng grabbed his ankle as he made a leap for the window.

"You must think I was born yesterday," said Tseng.

"_We should love for the sake of loving_," replied Rufus.

...

The blancmange and her attractive blonde niece were sitting on the same sofa. Tseng was standing by the table. Rufus was sitting on it.

"It's no use; I won't change my mind," Rufus said with a shrug. A large shrug. His voice was a little higher than usual, too. Tseng sighed. While it was true that these women had brought Rufus' wrath upon themselves, he couldn't help but think that his friend was being childish.

Sure enough, both women exchanged a quick look, eyes lighting. Tseng was always amazed at the way people continually underestimated Rufus.

"Aunty, I don't think... I think we may be wasting our time," the blonde woman sighed, pouting. Tseng shook himself slightly (although Rufus had already noticed, dammit). She slid to her feet, flowed over to the table and touched Rufus' elbow; Rufus shivered. "Oh well, it was interesting meeting you."

"And you, Scarlet," Rufus replied, voice an octave higher and cheeks ever-so-slightly pink. The girl, sensing opportunity, brought her lips to his ear.

"I mean it," she murmured. "To be honest, I'm glad you're not keen; you're still a little young for me, but give it a few years. I'll wait."

"You'll be waiting a long time," said Rufus with a petulant scowl and furious blush. The women left. The scowl and blush vanished in a blink.

_Make the worthless think they're wanted, and they won't bother with as strong a defence. Saves headaches further down the line when it's prudent to have them destroyed. Fools assume, and an arrogant sociopath is a predictable fool. Pretend to hide a limp and they'll think you have a bad leg._

Tseng sighed.

...

_A/N: I'm actually curious about what method Rufus used to make himself blush. Emotion memory? Generating pressure? Dirty thoughts about Tseng? The mind boggles._


End file.
